Can't Stop What's Coming
by December
Summary: The result of the I-pod shuffle challenge given by several people. Ten songs, ten drabbles. The ultimate challenge to anyone who would call themselves "song fic girl". Third challenge up as second chapter.
1. For the first time

Can't Stop What's Coming – A shuffle ficmix

**Can't Stop What's Coming – A shuffle ficmix**

_**This challenge is making the rounds. I was first challenged on LJ by one person and then here on by carterfinly. So, I might be cheating, but I'm using the same set of results for both. They follow below.**_

_**A few things to note. First, about four of these mini-stories are not in the LWD fandom. Hopefully, if nothing else, they might expose people to new fandoms. Or you can just skip them. At least five of these are LWD, so that's why I posted it in the LWD section. Second, song lyrics do pop up in these pieces, often as pieces of conversations. I didn't write or perform these songs. Song and artist (and fandom) are listed before each piece.**_

_**Happy reading.**_

**Song 1 – All That She Wants by Ace of Base (LWD – Derek, Casey)**

She had warned him. She had warned him. Marina wasn't like the other girls he'd dated. She had an agenda.

She wanted a baby.

It was an odd thing to want at twenty. And she didn't seem to want it for the obvious reasons of trapping a guy. Casey had seen something was different about Marina's agenda the moment she met her at the sorority party in college – three seconds before she met Derek. When she had told Derek to be careful, he had said she was jealous.

Now, however, as she looked across at her shell-shocked stepbrother as he slowly hung up the phone, Casey's warning probably didn't seem as odd.

Marina was pregnant. Two minutes into the conversation, she'd also dumped Derek and told him he would never see the child.

What in the hell did they do now?

**Song 2 - The Crying Rain by Emm Gryner (LWD, Lizzie)**

It was strange. Ten years ago, she wouldn't have seen herself where she was.

Somehow, she'd become famous for nothing…and then ended up being a lead singer in a band. She had a fast, gas guzzling car. She was followed by the paparazzi. She was thin, girly, and some kind of poster child for life in the fast lane.

She wasn't happy. All of the causes, all of the people, that meant something from her she'd left in London. With all the time she spent in San Francisco made London seem so far away.

And he, for all of his smarts, had the audacity to ask her in their last phone conversation, what her "pain" was. He caused her hurt, her destruction.

"Stupid, clueless Edwin," pop sensation L muttered into her third beer.

**Song 3 – The Wind and The Rain by Cicero vs Emm Gryner (LWD – Dasey)**

Their fights as a married couple weren't that different from their fights as teenagers, when he thought about. He still had no idea what she was thinking.

"I don't know what to say when I talk to you," she shouted.

"Why do you have to analyze everything," he shouted back.

"I don't know what to do when you get like this," she responded, clearly upset.

Those were the low points. But there were high points. Some nights, they'd dance around their living room. He'd never admit to this if asked, and he made Casey not tell a soul, but those circuits around the living room in a waltz made his weeks.

**Song 4 – Blue Skies by Regan – (LWD, Nora)**

Soccer Mom. She guessed she was one, in the literal sense. She used to laugh at that title when she first married, she didn't realize how much work it was.

What errands did she need to do today? Oh, right. Return the videos. Pick up the laundry. Take Lizzie to soccer, Edwin to bowling, Marti to ballet. Buy groceries. Stop by the post office.

It was at the last stop that she saw the guy she almost married before Dennis? Why was he in London? He was famous. And he walked right by her on the way to his sports car.

What would life be like if she'd gone that route? No kids. No errands. Blue skies. Open roads. Vacations and pedicures and the high-powered vice presidency in the company where she worked –

But as her cell phone rang and she saw the caller was her eldest, Casey, Nora knew that, deep down, she'd made the best decision all of those years ago.

**Song 5 – The Lost Children by Michael Jackson – (Batman Beyond, Bruce)**

Gotham was a dark place. It wasn't like Metropolis or ever New York. Light didn't seem to be a part of Gotham life. Yet, children were born in Gotham, lived in Gotham, grew up in Gotham.

He grew up in Gotham. He lost his parents in Gotham. His wards did some of their growing up in Gotham. His successor grew up in Gotham, did Juvie in Gotham, lost a father in Gotham.

In a sense, part of the legacy, the Bat legacy was to protect those of Gotham, especially for the children of Gotham. A ray of hope to give them a life with light, parents and hope.

How successful were they in doing that? It depended on the day.

**Song 6 – Your Sort of Human Being by Emm Gryner (LWD, Casey)**

After she told Max she needed some space, she hadn't really thought what the next day of school would be like. She didn't expect to be Max's friend. They hadn't ended the way she and Sam had, after all. It was a lot more…raw than that.

She didn't expect the cold shoulder. At least, not to the extent she received it. Max didn't talk to her – that was a given. But no one on the football team acknowledged her existence. And half the cheerleading squad refused to even say hi to her.

To a whole group of people in the high school world, she had stopped being real – being human. Was she only worthy when she was half of Max? Part of Masey? "Tell me how unworthy I seemed when you got thinking about it," she muttered as she walked out of the building that Monday afternoon.

**Song 7 – Hold On by MaryMary (Joan of Arcadia – Joan)**

She was one girl against impossible odds. Ryan had even told her that. He had the school board. He had the police department. He had the town, the money. Adam sung his praises. Her father respected him. The papers said wonderful things in editorials.

And she was a sixteen year old who God talked to. Where did that leave her? Even when she asked for an army, God pointed toward her friends. Her brainy brother, Luke. Her anti-establishment friend Grace. Her artistic ex-boyfriend, Adam. Friedman…she had no idea what he was. And Glynis.

A year ago, she would just assume she was screwed. But in all of these odd things God had put her through, the things he called training…He wouldn't do it for her to lose. She knew that. She believed that.

She hoped.

**Song 8 – Waiting for You by Seal (xxxHolic)**

How much did that one wish cost, anyway?

He didn't think about it much anymore, honestly. In an odd way, for as much as Yuko made him crazy, he was glad he met her. Sure, he had been exposed to more "weird" that he'd ever wanted…but like before Yuko seemed bland.

It was almost worth dealing with Domeki all the time. Almost.

But more than that, he was begin to believe Yuko's whole thing about fate. It was if part of him was waiting for him to stumble on Yuko's shop. He saw it, felt it more and more.

"You can't go back to a time when you didn't notice," he repeated. In some ways this seems like a great cost, but also a great gift.

**Song 9 – I'm No Angel by Dido (Batman Beyond, Melanie)**

If you'd asked her, Melanie wouldn't consider herself a bad girl.

Sure, she was a part of the Royal Flush gang for a chunk of her life. She stole. She fought. She tried to help take out Batman when he got in the way. She left him to the Jokers to get that ransom for her father – at least what she thought was ransom. But that didn't make her bad, not in her eyes.

But it obviously made her bad in Terry's eyes. He turned away when he saw her loaded into the police van the first time. He didn't want to help her when she called on him the second time. And after that, after getting her note, he never tried to contact her again.

She'd seen his girl from a distance a few days ago. She seemed to float on the air, like an angel. Melanie bet she never stole or left Batman to fend for himself.

Sure, she wasn't an angel, but she hurt as well. Angels shouldn't be the only ones allowed boys like Terry.

**Song 10 – Girls Are Murder by Emm Gryner (pick your own fandom)**

"This won't last," he had warned her. She had ignored him. She was bound and determined to make it last. They fit. They had finally come together.

But he was right. They didn't last. But it still hurt like hell. Even now, decades later. It colored every relationship she had afterwards. Every guy was compared to him, both the good and the bad.

And she thought it was just as bad for him. Supposedly, someone had overheard him saying something like "girls were hell" or "girls are murder". And then insisting that it applied to all females. It had ended up in print and caused havoc for the PR arm of the label.

"This won't last," he had said. She just wished that he'd meant the heartache and not the relationship.


	2. Second Time Around

I was challenged a second time for the shuffle challenge

_**I was challenged a second time for the shuffle challenge. I decided to make it a second chapter of my first challenge fic. Oh, and I might do an "Emm Drabbles" – same idea of this challenge, except I'd only use Emm Gryner songs. If you'd like to see that, let me know.**_

_**Not all of these are LWD, but most are. Oh, I don't own the songs or series used here. And, in some drabbles, song lyrics show up as dialogue.**_

_**Happy reading.**_

**Song 1 – Shadowboxing by Cicero (LWD – Dennis)**

At some point, if you look closely enough, you can see the different paths your life could have taken, Dennis thought as he looked across the desk at one of the lawyers that reported to him at the firm.

He was a managing partner. He had the big salary, the high profile cases, and more "little lawyers", paralegals, and interns reporting to him than anyone else at the firm. He was also divorced and not as close to his daughters as he would like.

Jim was his age. Jim was still an associate at the firm. But, Jim was still married to his first wife; he celebrated his thirtieth anniversary last month. Jim was very close to his two sons. He was his eldest's best man at the wedding a few weeks ago. Dennis was just glad Casey remembered to invite him to her wedding.

Of course, Jim's paycheck was minimal, his hours were crappy, and his wife supported the family in their lifestyle.

Dennis couldn't say that Jim made a better or worse choice. But some nights, Dennis wondered about what would have happened if he had chosen Nora, Casey, and Elizabeth over law.

**Song 2 – Running Back by Emm Gryner (LWD – Casey)**

If anyone was predicting who was going to have a career in the recording industry, everyone would have guessed Derek. So why was Casey the one crooning "chick music" and being hailed as the new Indie Queen?

Everyone would say it was because of that talent show in college and that she caught Emm Gryner's eye. And that was the standard PR line. It was partly true. Emm was at the talent show. She was impressed with Casey. She's the one who signed the brunette to Dead Daisy.

But really, Derek was the reason. When she broke off their short relationship, she thought she was doing the right thing. They were step-siblings. They were opposites. They were keeping it a secret, for crying out loud!

Breaking if off was a mistake. As soon as she realized it, she tried to rush back to him, but he had moved on. So, she wrote a song about her pain and foolishness and sung it that night at the talent show. The song that got her discovered.

All because she couldn't run back to Derek.

**Song 3 – Crossing the River by The Devlins (Batman Beyond – Terry, Max)**

How did we become friends? I honestly don't remember. It was years ago, now. I don't even remember if our friendship was pre or post Juvie. I do remember how I felt when I met you.

Even then, before the part-time job, I remember looking at you and thinking, "Something tells me, I can trust in you."

And I was right. Sure, you found out more than me telling you about what I actually did after-school, but you never told a soul. You covered for me with Dana and to a degree with my mother. You knew about Melanie, even the second time when I was practically cheating on Dana, and you never told. You never preached.

You reminded me about homework. You hacked into computers to get me information. You listened to school gossip. You kept your eyes on the news coverage.

I called you Alfred that day. That wasn't fair. You were more than that; you were my eyes and ears.

I'm thankful everyday that I took the time to meet you.

**Song 4 - In the Morning – MaryMary (LWD – Marti)**

The hospital was a wreck. People everywhere. Yelling, crying, screaming. And her family was a part of the screaming. They couldn't find her brother. No one was saying anything about her sister – she didn't think of her as a step-sister anymore.

The school shooting was a shock to everyone. It wasn't something that happened in London. It happened in the States. It didn't happen to them.

And eight year olds weren't sitting in a corner in a crowded waiting room worrying about people she loved so much.

There were some people next to her, praying. It wasn't something that was done often in her house. Her father occasionally did it, she thought. People said it helped. Well, she was willing to try anything.

"May I join you?"

"Of course. What is your name, young lady?" the man in black asked.

"Marti. Smerek – I mean my brother and sister were at the school. And I," her voice caught a little, "and I'm scared."

A lady broke from the circle, hugged her, and then drew her to others. "That's okay sweetie. We're all family today. And we're all scared."

**Song 5 – Stuck by Stacie Orico (LWD – Casey, Lizzie)**

"You aren't sick."

Casey groaned as she rolled over. Lizzie was the last person she expected to call her on her behavior. "What do you mean?" Casey croaked, "Of course, I'm sick."

"No, you're not," her little sister insisted as she sat on Casey's bed. "So, who's the boy?"

"Why does it have to be a boy?"

"Come on! Are you serious?" Lizzie rolled her eyes. "I've lived with you for years. I know, 'Casey's heartbroken' behavior."

"Lizzie-"

"Don't worry, I won't tell Mom, but-" Lizzie said as she got up, "I do not want to be pulled into the drama."

"Liz-"

Lizzie sight as she turned to look at Casey, "Okay, you can tell be about it after school. Just…don't go overboard with the sulking, while you're home, promise?"

"Promise."

**Song 6 – Little Girl by MaryMary (LWD – Casey, Lizzie)**

As she watched her sister walk up to accept her Espy, Casey smiled. Liz looked great in the Vera Wang, Casey talked her into getting for the event. Recently, Liz had been voted as one of the sexiest people alive. Liz had blushed and tried to blow if off, when she heard. It reminded Casey of when Liz was thirteen.

Casey shook her head as Liz started her speech. If she had told Lizard at thirteen that she would become a scholar, famous soccer player, and an international sex symbol, Liz would have laughed in face.

She couldn't see it then and she couldn't see it now. But Casey had always known her little sister would grow up to be amazing.

**Song 7 – Crescendolls by Daft Punk (LWD – Derek, Marti)**

What in the world had his sister talked him into taping?

"Smerek! Pay attention. We are over here!"

"Okay, Smart. Sorry."

Here was the living room. They had pushed the couch out of the way to form some kind of open space. Marti and her friends, in a variety of strange combinations of clothes, were walking around and expecting Derek to tape them.

Casey had called it a fashion show when she heard about the plan. To Derek, it looked like a bunch of seven year olds trying to grow up too fast. He blamed television.

At least his Smart hadn't grown up completely. She still carried Sir Monks-A-Lot with her as she posed, after all.

**Song 8 – Don't Look Back by Antigone Rising (Batman Beyond – Max)**

She had learned how not to break up by watching him and Dana. They broke up, but they never really broke off. They never moved on. Which is why they ended up together again and again…and again. But she couldn't do it. She was both weaker and stronger than Dana Tan.

So as she looked at the man she loved, she said, "If you go, go all the way. Don't come back."

"Max," he started, "you don't mean-"

"Yes, I do. I've seen the break-up that wasn't broken up. I can't do that. I've cried all I'm going to. I've taken off my pity party dress. Either you stay and we try to work this out, or you leave and you don't come back. Period."

"Did you ever care?' was the last question she got as he stormed out.

"More than you'll ever know. More than you know."

**Song 9 – Heal Over by KT Tundstal (LWD – Sally, Casey)**

"Order up, table seven!"

"On it," Sally called as she rushed to pick it up. She was a little off that night. Okay, she was a lot off that night.

She and Derek were over. It hurt more that she thought it would. Even though she was the one who ended it. Maybe it was a silly reason to end things…or maybe she was right and Derek needed to follow his heart without trampling hers in the process.

"May I take your or-" Sally started to ask the person at table eight before she processed who it was.

Casey.

"Hey, Sally."

"Hi."

The brunette smiled at her. "I heard…about what happened. Tell you want. Grab a pot of tea and take a load off and sit with me for a second."

"But-"

"Sally," Casey said quietly, "You have a right to be upset and sad, too. I've been there, remember? You listened to me. It's my turn now. And I'm just here to listen."

"Okay," Sally said after a pause. "Thanks."

**Song 10 – One Time Too Many by PJ Harvey (Joan of Arcadia – Luke)**

Ignored people did go over the edge too. And they are pushed just as much as other people who are not ignored. No one falls off the edge. Physics would tell you that. There would have to be some force acting on you to cause your body to move at all. Usually something more than the Earth's gravity.

This was just another sign he was weird and not like his brother. He'd come to bar to rebel. To get "fucked up" as some people at school would say. And he thought about it in terms of physics.

As he was about to order another beer, he saw her. His sister. And she was coming towards him.

"You okay, Luke?"

"How did you know where to find me?" he asked.

She paused for a second, getting that look her face. "Would you believed God told me?"

He laughed, "Given your behavior of late, yeah." After a few minutes of silence, he found himself asking, "Why did you come find me?"

For the first time in his living memory, Joan looked at him as if he wasn't too bright. "Because we love you."


End file.
